Method and system for wireless database management

ABSTRACT

An efficient method and system for wireless database management that allows database administrators to monitor and manage a plurality of databases from a remote location is disclosed. Included in this description are steps for reducing the amount of data transmitted and received by narrow bandwidth wireless communications, storing the results of requests made by the same user repeatedly for quicker access time, and enabling a single user to access multiple databases within the wireless database management system simultaneously.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/247,523, filed on Nov. 9, 2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to an improved method and systemfor wireless database management, and relates more specifically toimprovements that enhance the performance and efficiency of a wirelessdatabase management system (WDMS).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Maintaining up-to-date information in stable databases is of the utmostimportance to many different companies. Banks, brokerage firms,airlines, and auction houses are examples of companies that depend ondatabases to produce accurate information without fail. Downtime for adatabase owned by one of these companies translates directly into lostrevenue.

Accordingly, many companies have adopted elaborate and expensiveprocedures for maintaining their databases. Database maintenance almostalways requires the hiring of a team of trained database administratorsto perform intelligent monitoring and management of the databasefacilities owned by their employer. For the kinds of companies mentionedabove, an experienced team of database administrators is absolutelynecessary.

Traditionally, database monitoring and management has been confined tohard-wired environments where database administrators must be physicallypresent and available at all times to perform routine maintenance andfix problems. Keeping a team of database administrators workingtwenty-four hours a day, everyday, simply to fix a problem that mightoccur is too costly for smaller companies and inefficient for allcompanies. If it were possible for a database administrator to monitorand manage his or her company's databases remotely, for example, fromhome or while on vacation, the costs of maintaining the databases mightbe considerably reduced. A need, therefore, exists for an efficientsystem and method for monitoring and managing databases remotely.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system and a method for efficientlymonitoring and managing databases remotely with a wireless device suchas a personal digital assistant (PDA), cell phone, pager, or othersimilar device. Data transfer between such a wireless device and adatabase may require hundreds of computers. According to one embodimentof the present invention, this system of computers, the WDMS, iscomprised of a wireless device, wireless base station, wireless proxyserver, a plurality of routers and servers that make up the Internet, aweb or application server, database server, and one or more databases.

Although the WDMS is a valuable aid to database administrators becauseit allows them to monitor and manage their databases remotely, it isalso a challenge for would-be designers. Wireless devices transmit andreceive data by electromagnetic radiation, usually of radio frequencyalthough other frequencies can be used. Less conventional methods ofwireless data transfer such as thermal, acoustic, or seismic waves mightalso be used. Wireless communication is usually narrower in bandwidththan either a direct or network connection; a WDMS must practice specialeconomy in its transfer of data to and from a wireless device.

An important feature of the present invention is its storing of theresults of user requests made to a database or databases from a wirelessdevice. The results are stored on a server or servers rather than on aclient, as is commonly taught in the prior art. Storing resultseliminates the time needed to re-execute user requests.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, upon connection tothe WDMS, a user of a wireless device is assigned session identificationinformation. The session identification information is then associatedwith all stored results of that user's requests. A wireless device usersends his or her session identification information along with his orher request for a result every time a request is made; with the sessionidentification information, a server, which in an embodiment might be aweb or application server, checks to see if that result has been storedbefore. If not, then the necessary databases are accessed in order toproduce the result, and the result is stored along with that user'ssession identification information. Stored results might be updated orrefreshed by reaccessing the databases, even without a user's request.In addition, the rate at which stored results are updated might beadjustable.

An additional feature is provided for improving the efficiency of theWDMS by encoding the user requests made to a database or databases froma wireless device, and by storing those codes on a server, which in anembodiment might be a web or application server. With user requestsencoded, the codes may be sent instead of the full text of the userrequests, which in most cases are lengthy. Encoding user requestssignificantly reduces the amount of time that it takes to transmitrequests from a wireless device to a database.

The efficiency of the WDMS is further improved by the storing of a listof addresses for a plurality of databases. The list is stored on aserver, which in an embodiment is a web or application server; thus, auser of a wireless device can access a plurality of databases within theWDMS. Each address in the stored list is also associated with anickname. In this way, user requests for a particular database or set ofdatabases are made by reference to only their nicknames. Nicknamingdatabases reduces the amount of time that it takes to transmit requestsfrom a wireless device to a database.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, advantages, and features of the presentinvention will be apparent from the following detailed description andthe accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the overall structure of a wirelessdatabase management system in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the typical structure of a client within awireless database management system in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the typical structure of an Intranet withina wireless database management system in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a set of flowcharts that illustrate the control flow of stepsperformed by software implemented on a wireless device and server inassigning session identification information in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart that illustrates the control flow of stepsperformed by software implemented on a wireless device and server inassociating session identification information with a stored result inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the present invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, certain preferred embodiments are shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. Itshould be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit theinvention to the particular forms described; rather, the description isintended to cover all modifications, alternatives, and equivalentsfalling within the spirit and scope of the invention defined by theappended claims.

Described here first is the architecture of one embodiment of the WDMS,and second, the software implemented to improve the efficiency of thesystem.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is illustrated a WDMS in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. Each box or cloud in FIG. 1represents a plurality of computers that are connected to the WDMS: onthe left side of FIG. 1 are represented a plurality of clients 15, shownin greater detail in FIG. 2; on the right side of FIG. 1 are representeda plurality of Intranets 150, shown in greater detail in FIG. 3.Intervening between the plurality of clients and the plurality ofIntranets is the Internet 70, which is itself comprised of a pluralityof servers and routers. Information, in the form of a user request, istransmitted from the client side to the server side (i.e., from left toright in FIG. 1), and the result of such a request is received on theclient side from the server side (i.e., on the left from the right inFIG. 1).

FIG. 2 illustrates in greater detail a client 15. In an embodiment, theInternet 70 connects to a wireless proxy server 50 that is in turnconnected to a plurality of wireless base stations 30 by a physicalcable 40. Each wireless base station 30 is equipped to transmit andreceive wireless communications that carry user requests and theirresults to and from wireless devices 10. Hence, the wireless devices 10connected to a WDMS are one terminus for the flow of information withina WDMS, the other terminus being the plurality of databases 200 in FIG.3 that might be connected to the WDMS.

While wireless communications are described herein by way of example asradio frequency communications, it should be understood that theinvention is not limited to radio frequency electromagnetic radiation asa mode of wireless communication. Such wireless communication might useother frequencies of electromagnetic radiation such as x-ray,ultraviolet, visible, infrared or microwave. Wireless communicationmight also rely on other forms of transport such as statisticalfluctuations in the average density of matter, as acoustic or seismicwaves. Even dynamically varying thermal gradients might be harnessed asa mode for wireless communication.

The wireless base stations shown as 30 in FIG. 2 might be part of awireless network architecture such as a MOBITEX or MOTIENT that use adigital packet-switching method, for example, the Global System forMobile Communication (GSM), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), orCode-Division Multiple Access (CDMA). In another embodiment, thewireless network architecture might be circuit-switched.

In FIG. 3 is illustrated what might comprise, in an embodiment of theWDMS, an Intranet 150. Typically, an Intranet is owned by a company andrun by employees, including database administrators; it is usuallyconfined to the physical environment defined by the buildings that houseand the cables that connect one or more databases 200 to one or moredatabase servers 100.

One important advantage offered by a WDMS is its novel addition of a webor application server 90 to this Intranet 150. The web or applicationserver 90 allows the Intranet 150 to be connected to the Internet 70,and hence to wireless devices 10 as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, databaseadministrators may perform monitoring and management tasks thatpreviously could only have been performed at the console for a databaseserver 100; they are freed from the physical confines of their company'sIntranet; cost-savings in hiring and overtime result for their company.

With the foregoing advantages, a WDMS is obviously desirable; but thereare certain challenges that face its designer. Wireless devicessometimes provide choppy and slow connections, and a user of a WDMS maynot tolerate these frustrations. Accordingly, in several embodiments thepresent invention alleviates or removes the undesirable effects ofwireless communication.

In general, an accurately kept record of the number and nature ofconnections made to the WDMS will aid in quickening the response andmaintaining the stability of the system. FIG. 4A illustrates anembodiment of how session identification information (hereinafter“session ID”) is assigned to a user of a wireless device. According toone embodiment of the present invention, a user of a wireless device 10sends a request for connection 300 to a web or application server 90.The web or application server 90 replies by assigning session ID 310that is unique to each user.

As mentioned above, there may be interruptions in service for a user ofa wireless device 10 in FIG. 2; the use of other applications or aninterruption in the broadcast signal from wireless base stations 30might cause a connection between a wireless device 10 and a database 200in FIG. 3 to be terminated. Given the likelihood of these events, thereshould be a way for users to reconnect to interrupted or terminatedsessions. In an embodiment, such reconnection might not be allowed afteran excessively long interval of weeks, months, or years, whereupon suchold session information might be collected and deleted. This intervalmight be determined by a user of the WDMS, although not necessarily by auser of a wireless device 10.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, in FIG. 4B isillustrated how a lapsed session might be reconnected within an intervalof time after a session has been terminated. A user of a wireless device10 sends a request for reconnection that includes his or her previoussession ID 320. A web or application server 90 responds by reconnectingthe user of the wireless device to his or her previous session,identified by his or her previous session ID 330. In another embodiment,the user might be offered a choice between starting an old or a newsession upon reconnection. Hours of work might be saved by a user of theWDMS by allowing session information to be retrieved in this manner.

Once stored on a server, session IDs for a plurality of wireless devices10 connected to the WDMS through one or more web or application servers90 might be used, either by a user at the console (keyboard and monitorconnected directly to a computer) of a server within the Intranet or bya user of a different wireless device 10, to keep track of who isconnected to the WDMS and what they are doing. Other administrativemonitoring and management tasks, such as the update of user profiles,the setting of limits to access, and the killing of particularconnections, might also be performed by a user of the WDMS (either at aconsole or on a wireless device 10) with software implemented on the webor application server 90.

There are other important advantages to storing session information on aweb or application server 90. Session information might also be used tosignificantly reduce the amount of time required by the WDMS foraccessing a result of a user request. When bandwidth is narrow, as itusually is for wireless communications, it is extremely important tomake transmissions concise and efficient. According to one embodiment ofthe present invention, a session ID can be associated with a storedresult of a previous request made by a user. FIG. 5 is a flowchart thatillustrates how this is done in an embodiment of the present invention.A user of a wireless device 10 that has already been assigned a sessionID (see FIG. 4) makes a request 400 for a result from a database 200.The request makes its way through the WDMS to a web or applicationserver 90 that, in an embodiment, has a capacity for storing in memoryresults of user requests. This memory (hereinafter “server cache”) isassociated with a single session ID. In FIG. 5, the web or applicationserver cache for session ID “ABC123” is labeled 420.

Once the request for a result has reached the web or application server90, the web or application server will determine 410 whether or notthere is a stored memory (in the form of a server cache associated withthe session ID appended to the user's request 420) of the result of thatrequest. If the result is stored, then it is returned directly 430 tothe web or application server and sent on 440 to the wireless device 10.No database 200 is accessed if, as here, the result is stored in cache.

If the result is not stored in cache, then it is retrieved by sendingthe request 450 to a database server 100 that in turn accesses 460 thedatabase or databases 200 on which the results are kept. The database ordatabases 200 then return the result 470 to the database server 100,which passes the result 480 to a server cache 420, where it is storedfor future access, passed on 430 to the web or application server 90,and through 440 to the wireless device 10. These steps eliminate timespent accessing a database for results that have been retrieved alreadyin a particular session—a significant savings of time when the databaseis large and when there are repeated or popular requests.

In most cases, the results of a request will change with time. For thisreason, it is desirable for the WDMS to have a capacity for updating orrefreshing stored results of user requests. In an embodiment of thepresent invention, an update is made by sending a request from a web orapplication server 90 to a database 200 and by storing the result ofthat request in the server cache associated with a particular session ID420. It is important to note that, for an update, requests might not bemade directly by a user of a wireless device 10; they might originate asrequests scheduled by software on a web or application server 90.

In an embodiment, updates are made at an adjustable rate. For data thatchanges constantly, such as stock quotes or auction bids, stored resultsare updated every time a user requests those results; data that changesless regularly is updated only at the user's request that it be updated;data that does not change during a typical session may not be updated atall. Other rates, both faster and slower, are also possible. Accordingto one embodiment of the present invention, the rate of update is presetfor different types of user requests by configuration softwareimplemented on a web or application server 90.

In another embodiment of the present invention, user requests made to adatabase or databases 200 in FIG. 3 from a wireless device 10 in FIG. 1are assigned codes (hereinafter “encoded”), which are in turn stored ina server cache 420 in FIG. 5 associated with a particular session ID. Byencoding user requests, data sent from a wireless device to a web orapplication server 90 is limited to a user request code and anynecessary parameters that must accompany that particular request. Table1 shows one example of how this step reduces the amount of data sent asa request.

TABLE 1 Encoding user requests CONVENTIONAL EFFICIENT WDMS “SELECTTABLE_NAME, “15ERNIE” INTIAL_EXTENT, NEXT_EXTENT, PCT_INCREASE, PCTUSED,PCTFREE, TABLESPACE_NAME, EXTENTS FROM DBA_TABLES WHERE OWNER=ERNIE”

On the left side of Table 1 is a full-text user request; on the rightside of the table is one example of how the full-text request might beencoded. User requests are typically of the length shown in Table 1, andoften contain, as this one does, hundreds of bytes of data. The number“15” is an example of a coded user request. In this case the code isnumeric (base ten), but in other embodiments it might be alphanumeric(hexadecimal or base 16), or binary (base 2); any consistent system ofcode might be used. “ERNIE” is the value of the parameter that thiscoded user request requires in order for it to be processed. If thenumber “15” is transmitted in binary format, and if it is assumed thatthe numbers “0” through “15” are assigned the binary sequence “0000”through “1111”, then it is possible for the entire conventional userrequest (hundreds of bytes in length) to be transmitted as a singlebyte. Obviously, this is a substantial improvement in the efficiency ofthe WDMS.

As shown in FIG. 3, the WDMS provides for a user of a wireless device toconnect to a plurality of database servers 100 and databases 200. FIG. 3does not show more than one database server, but in another embodimentone or more databases 200 might be connected to a web or applicationserver 90 by a different, separate database server. Similarly, one ormore web or application servers 90 might be included in an embodiment ofthe present invention.

The addresses, which might be, for example, the IP addresses of eachdatabase server 100 (and hence the addresses of the database ordatabases 200 connected to that server), are stored on a web orapplication server 90. Effectively, this allows a user of a singlewireless device 10 within the WDMS to access a plurality of databases200 by referring to the stored list of database server 100 addresses.

In yet another embodiment, each database server's address might be givena different nickname that is stored along with it in the list ofaddresses on the web or application server. These nicknames are set by auser of the WDMS. For example, “MYBANK” can reference database “BANK” atIP address “207.208.77.99”. It is easier, and hence more efficient, fora user of the WDMS to work with a list of database nicknames than with alist of database addresses in the same way that it is easier to refer toa person by his or her name than by his or her address, telephone, orsocial security number.

Furthermore, a user of a wireless device 10 may manually switch thedatabase 200 that is being accessed in order to process his or herrequest by simply selecting a different database from the list ofnicknames stored on a web or application server 90. In an embodiment, auser is able to access the databases connected to the WDMS one at atime, simultaneously, or by looping through the list of databases storedon the web or application server. Table 2 shows an example of how thedatabase or databases connected to the WDMS might be accessed in anembodiment of the present invention. This step provides an improvementin the efficiency of the WDMS in that it enables a user to execute acommand on any or all of the databases connected to the WDMS with onerequest. Alternatively, the user would be forced to re-execute thecommand once for every database connected to the WDMS—an arduous andstultifying task.

TABLE 2 User requests to databases ONE AT A TIME SIMULTANEOUSLY LOOPINGTHROUGH “Here are all the “Here are all the “Here are all the users onusers on your users on all of database1: current database: yourdatabases: USERID USERID USERID BBIRD” BBIRD BBIRD OGROUCH Here are allthe users on SNFLPGS” database2: USERID OGROUCH Here are all the userson database3: USERID SNFLPGS”

The WDMS also allows for one or more databases to send alerts to awireless device. A user of the WDMS sets the requirements for an alertto be sent. For example, a user might request that an alert be sent whenany database within the WDMS has less than 10% of its storage spacefree. Alerts present a tremendous advantage over the prior art in thatthey allow a user of the WDMS to be doing other things, for example,eating, sleeping, or working on a different task, besides monitoringdatabases; this saves money for a company that hires databaseadministrators as it reduces the number of shifts and overtime necessaryfor maintaining a system.

It should be understood that various changes and modifications to thepresently preferred embodiments described herein would be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention andwithout diminishing its attendant advantages.

1. A method for wireless monitoring and management of a databasemanagement system (DBMS) wherein a result of a first request to the DBMSis stored for faster access when an interrupted or terminated databasesession is reestablished, comprising: receiving the first request to theDBMS, wherein the first request to the DBMS comprises at least one of asecond request for monitoring a database of the DBMS or a third requestfor managing the database of the DBMS; and wherein the first request ismade to the DBMS from the wireless device and is assigned acommunication session identification that identifies and distinguishes arespective communication session between the wireless device and acomputer system which hosts the DBMS or connects to the DBMS from anyother communication session between the same wireless device and thecomputer system; checking whether the result for the first request hasbeen stored; and if the result for the first request has not beenstored, producing the result and storing the result on a server.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: updating the stored result of astored first request.
 3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:adjusting how often the stored result of the stored first request isupdated.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: adjusting howoften the stored result of the stored first request is updated based ona type of the stored first request.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein:each communication session identification further distinguishes arespective communication session between the wireless device and thecomputer system from another communication session between anotherwireless device and another computer system.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein: each communication session identification further distinguishesa respective communication session between the wireless device and thecomputer system from any other communication session between any otherof a plurality of wireless devices and any other computer system.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving from the wirelessdevice a request to reconnect the wireless device to the computer systemwhich hosts the DBMS or connects to the DBMS; reconnecting the wirelessdevice to the computer system; and reestablishing a previouscommunication session between the wireless device and the computersystem based on the communication session identification that identifiesand distinguishes the previous communication session.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, further comprising retrieving a session information of therespective previous communication session, wherein the sessioninformation comprises at least one of the first request to the DBMS andthe stored result of the first request to the DBMS.
 9. The method ofclaim 7, wherein reestablishing the previous communication sessionbetween the wireless device and the computer system comprises at leastone of reestablishing an interrupted communication session andreestablishing a terminated communication session.
 10. A method forwireless monitoring and management of a database management system(DBMS), wherein results of requests to the DBMS are stored for fasteraccess when an interrupted or terminated database session isreestablished, comprising: identifying a plurality of distinctcommunication sessions between the wireless device and a computer systemwhich hosts the DBMS or connects to the DBMS; assigning respectivesession identification information to each respective communicationsession between the wireless device and the computer system which hoststhe DBMS or connects to the DBMS; receiving at the computer system whichhosts the DBMS or connects to the DBMS in at least one of saidcommunication sessions a first request to the DBMS from the wirelessdevice, wherein the first request comprises at least one of a secondrequest for monitoring a database of the DBMS or a third request formanaging the database of the DBMS; appending the respective sessionidentification information to the first request; and storing on a serverthe first request with the appended session identification information.11. The method of claim 10 further comprising: associating the sessionidentification information with a stored result of the first requestmade to the DBMS, said stored result with the appended sessionidentification information being stored on the server.
 12. The method ofclaim 11 further comprising: updating the stored result of the storedfirst request.
 13. The method of claim 12 further comprising: adjustinghow often the stored result of the stored first request is updated. 14.The method of claim 13, further comprising: adjusting how often thestored result of the stored first request is updated based on a type ofthe stored first request.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein: theidentifying step further identifies a plurality of distinctcommunication sessions between a plurality of wireless device and aplurality of computer systems; and the assigning step assigns respectivesession identification information to each respective communicationsession between each of the wireless devices and the computer systems.16. The method of claim 10, further comprising: detecting a loss ofconnection between the wireless device and the computer system whichhosts the DBMS or connects to the DBMS; reconnecting the wireless deviceto the computer system; and reestablishing a previous communicationssession of the plurality of distinct communications sessions between thewireless device and the computer system based on the sessionidentification information assigned to the previous communicationsession.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising retrieving asession information of the reestablished previous communicationssession, wherein the retrieved session information comprises at leastone of: the first request to the DBMS with appended sessionidentification information and a stored result of the first request tothe DBMS with an appended session identification information.
 18. Themethod of claim 16, wherein reestablishing the previous communicationsession between the wireless device and the computer system comprises atleast one of reestablishing an interrupted communication session andreestablishing a terminated communication session.
 19. A method forwireless monitoring and management of a database management system(DBMS) wherein results are stored for faster access when an interruptedor terminated database session is reestablished, comprising: assigning acode to a first request made to a computer system from a wirelessdevice, said computer system hosting the DBMS or connecting to the DBMS,and said code being stored on a server and representing at least onecommand comprising the first request for instructing the server toperform certain tasks to interact with the DBMS, wherein the firstrequest comprises at least one of a second request for monitoring adatabase of the DBMS or a third request for managing the database of theDBMS; wherein in response to the interaction with the server the DBMSmonitors or manages the database; and wherein the data size of the codeis less than the data size of the at least one command comprising thefirst request, to enable the wireless device to instruct the server toperform said certain tasks by sending the code as the request to theserver instead of sending the at least one command comprising the firstrequest to the server.
 20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:assigning session identification information to each connectionestablished between the wireless device and the computer system whichhosts the DBMS or connects to the DBMS; associating sessionidentification information with a stored result of a stored firstrequest made to the DBMS from the wireless device, said result beingstored on a server; and associating the session identificationinformation with the code assigned to the stored first request.
 21. Themethod of claim 20 further comprising: updating the stored result of thestored first request.
 22. The method of claim 21 further comprising:adjusting how often the stored result of the stored first request isupdated.
 23. A method for wireless monitoring and management of one ormore database management systems (DBMSs) wherein a result is stored forfaster access when an interrupted or terminated database session isreestablished, comprising: storing addresses of a plurality of computersystem servers on a separate server; storing addresses of a plurality ofDBMSs on the separate server, wherein the computer system servers hostthe DBMSs or the computer system servers are connected to the DBMSs;allowing a single wireless device to interact with the plurality ofcomputer system servers and the plurality of DBMSs by communicating tothe separate server a first request for interaction with the pluralityof computer system servers and the plurality of DBMSs corresponding tothe stored addresses identified in the request, and wherein in responseto the interaction with the separate server the DBMSs will monitor ormanage one or more databases; and assigning a code to a first requestmade to a database management system (DBMS) from the single wirelessdevice, said code being stored on a server and representing at least onecommand comprising the first request for instructing the server toperform certain tasks to interact with the DBMS, wherein: the data sizeof the code is less than the data size of the at least one commandcomprising the first request, to enable the single wireless device toinstruct the server to perform said certain tasks by sending the code asthe first request to the server instead of sending the at least onecommand comprising the first request to the server; and the firstrequest comprises at least one of a second request for monitoring adatabase of the DBMS or a third request for managing a database of theDBMS.
 24. The method of claim 23 further comprising: associating therespective addresses of each of the computer system servers and each ofthe DBMSs with respective user defined representation that are stored onthe separate server.
 25. The method of claim 24 further comprising:allowing the user defined representations associated with each of thecomputer server systems and each of the DBMSs to be set by the user.